Silent Winds
by Purple Pizza Turtle
Summary: Nothing was the same after the Great War. Link slowly became everything he despised, and the massacre of the Sheikah tribe forces him to rediscover the secrets of his past that he would sooner forget. The resurgence of the Gerudo king can wait; a more sinister force sweeps the land, driving innocents to radicalization, to murder, and it yearns for the blood of the dark hero.
1. Prologue

...

**PROLOGUE**

**~The Guard~**

A wanderer isn't always lost.

The winds blew from the North, gathering dust and spraying it across the alleyway. Ashei instinctively shielded her eyes with one hand, and brought the hood of her cloak up with the other.

If Ashei could wear her own uniform in the hot Gerudo deserts in the East, she would. However, many people foreign to these lands have died of heatstroke within a few hours of traveling the desert. The Gerudo garb she wore instead was comfortable, but she still felt righteous wearing armor across her body, with a longsword sashed across her left waist. Ashei was of the Shoregale Tribe, a clan in the North who spent their lives protecting the royal family at all costs. To leave the Capital and Princess Zelda without her royal guard felt like treason, even though it was the princess herself who gave her leave to go.

Gerudo settlements were stretched far and thin, and not every town she passed offered her a place to stay, even after she told them that she had sufficient rupee to pay for it. Nabooru had warned her that they were a hostile people; quick to anger, and slow to forget. They still had not forgotten the Great War twelve years ago, where the Crown cowed their leaders into submission. The Gerudo were the ones forced to pay the war reparations and their beloved leader, Prince Ganondorf, escaped in exile before he could be executed for his treason.

Her target was the sixth settlement she would find along Nabooru's outlined path: Cordoba, the city where the Gerudo prince rules from. As Ashei approached the gates to the city, she examined Nabooru's letter once more: _Find me by Prince Desmendo's side. He is often too weak to leave his room._

Ashei approached the iron gates of Cordoba. Most of the buildings inside hardly cleared the height of the rust-coloured stone wall that several Gerudo soldiers were pacing across, but they were so far away that they looked like shadows. A few more were at the gates. As she came closer, she pulled her hood down and held the torch to her face. The flames were bright in the darkness, and it felt eerie for Ashei to know that they could all see her, but she could not see them.

_When you cross into Gerudo territory at night, always approach cities holding a torch up to your face and pull your hood down. If the guards can't see your face properly, they'll assume that you have no business in the area, and they'll kill you on sight. Oh, and when you leave a city, make sure to extinguish the torch. Bandits often raid along the roads connecting Gerudo cities, and holding a torch makes you easier to find._ Nabooru had a fair amount precautionary measures for Ashei to take. She was quite the character, Ashei thought when she read through the letter's contents. _  
><em>

"Halt!" one of the soldiers called out as she approached the gate. "In the name of Prince Desmendo Nalar, the rightful ruler of the East, as appointed by King Nohansen the Second, you shall not enter this city without the Crown's discretion. Please state your name and business."

"Tell Nabooru that I am here—"

"Your name and business, if you will."

A young lady in bright red Gerudo clothes approached the gate. Her hair was a brighter shade of red than most of the other Gerudo women that she found on her trip, and she seemed rather innocent. "This is Ashei. She brings tidings from the Capital."

The guards looked somewhat apprehensive, but gave the signal to open the gate. The young lady clasped her hands by her stomach, and bowed. "Thank you for coming. I am going to have to ask you to relinquish any weapons you carry."

"I am Princess Zelda's royal guardian. I carry my sword with me at all times."

"Ah, you have never been to Cordoba before, yes? Cordoba has a great deal of religious sentiment to our people. This is said to be the place where Din was born, and where she lost her mortality. She preached against violence when mortals ascended to challenge the goddesses themselves. And despite her efforts to keep the peace, war erupted, and Din lost her mortal body before the savage nature of man could be quelled. No man or woman may carry weapons into this city, lest we forget our history," the young girl said.

"Why are the guards armed, then?" _Let your guard down, and you let the enemy in_. _If I am weaponless in an alien city..._

"They are not." Ashei eyed the nearby guards, and she reddened. They were evidently not carrying any sort of weaponry on them. She also expected the figures atop the wall to be carrying crossbows, but upon closer inspection, they too were unarmed. She left her own sword by the front of the city where every weapon was kept.

"Nabooru, based off of the contents of your letter to me, I would never have assumed you were particular pious..."

The girl blinked, before she realized what was happening. "Oh! I'm sorry, my lady, but Nabooru has not left Prince Desmendo's side since he grew ill, and he has not appeared outside since then. Nabooru simply requested for me to see that you arrived here in a timely fashion."

"And if I am not too forward, who are you?"

"I serve as an assistant to one of the priestesses in the Dinkahl. These robes I wear—in traditional colours—are all religious clothing."

Ashei nodded. The young girl led her through these streets of the Gerudo capital, and this area had a distinctly different feel to it than any other part of the desert. The roads were paved in stone and levelled off quite nicely, and people generally seemed to be at peace here. The population of the five other Gerudo cities between the Capital and Cordoba were always armed with something, and religion did not seem to be a particularly big part of their culture outside of this city.

"Prince Desmendo's home is straight ahead, by the end of the city." The girl left hurriedly before Ashei could thank her for her time.

The prince's manse was distinguishable from the other buildings, to be sure. It sported white cobble walls from the outside, in stark contrast to the brown sandstone that the rest of the village was made out of. In the Capital, there were gates to go from Hyrule Castle to the town. Here, the mayor's home was undefended, and aside from its design, did not stand out.

Ashei knocked on the door once. A woman with copper-coloured skin and fiery red hair answered the door and smiled. "Ashei? Please, come on in. We have much to discuss. A pity that Princess Zelda is not able to come herself, but I suppose that it cannot be helped."

Nabooru led her through the quaint home, and its heart, where Prince Desmendo relaxed by a fire with a blanket in his lap. He did not open his eyes when Ashei and Nabooru approached him. His hair must have been the typical red that every Gerudo sported, but years and years must have removed any sort of colour from either his face or his hair. He seemed rather short and feeble, with wrinkles across his face.

"Welcome... is the East to your liking?" the prince slowly asked, slurring a few of his words as well.

"What I find strange is that people in this city tend to act quite piously, but outside of these walls..." Beggars and solicitors were present in ample numbers in all the previous cities Ashei had visited in the East.

Prince Desmendo smiled. "I wanted people to feel closer to Din. That's why I came to this city, and made this the East's new capital after the Great War. I outlawed any sort of weapon in this area. The Dinkahl is the largest temple dedicated to holy worship in all of Hyrule, and perhaps beyond. Although I can do much to make religion more important to the lives of every citizen within these walls, there is little I can do regarding the strength of their faith outside of here." He sighed, and tried to stretch his neck to look at her. "But that is not why you have travelled so far. The Librarians are the ones who manage the delivery of all mail in Hyrule, and if they happen to probe random letters and discover what I have to say... That is why I need for one of the Crown's most loyal servants to see this message delivered in confidentiality."

Nabooru walked to the door. For a moment, Ashei was relieved that the Gerudo woman would excuse herself so that no prying ears would hear the prince's message. Instead, she simply checked the hallway outside for any servants and proceeded to shut the door closed.

"Can she be trusted?" Ashei asked out loud. Nabooru scowled, but knew better than to speak up.

"She is my most loyal servant," Prince Desmendo said quickly. He shivered from the cold winds that blew into his room, and gripped his blanket. "If you have anything to say, you can say it to her and expect her silence."

Ashei remained unfazed. As a member of the royal guard, she had certain protocols she needed to follow. "I would feel more comfortable if she were to wait outside."_  
><em>

Before Nabooru could object (and by her facial expression, she certainly wanted to), Prince Desmendo waved his hand and glared at her. She complied silently, and closed the door behind her.

"Ah, where to begin? I've seen people come and go, rise to grace, and fall from power. Were you fighting in the Great War?" Prince Desmondo turned to face her. She slowly nodded. "The aftermath of it was disastrous for our people. Ganondorf was sentenced to death as justice by the Crown. But he fled before that could happen, and never appeared again in Hyrule."

"You found him?"

"We did not and I hope he does not surface again," the prince sighed. "Beyond these lands, in the Najhin Republic, one of Ganondorf's capital ships has reappeared. Every crew member seems to have committed suicide before the ship drifted ashore."

Ashei had heard of this a few days earlier, in a Gerudo tavern just outside of the city of Arkhan. A few people were proclaiming it to be a sign that Ganondorf will come again, some had claimed that it meant that their previous prince has given up on them, and others simply remained fixated on their drinks. It was somewhat frightening of a realization to Ashei that so many remain loyal to Ganondorf, even after all of these years.

"So I had heard," Ashei said. Prince Desmendo motioned to her to place more wood in the firepit. She did so without hesitation, and took a seat promptly after, facing towards the prince.

Prince Desmendo seemed tired and ready to fall asleep. "The problem is that a foreigner came to Corboda two weeks ago, and talked to me about this incident before it happened. He told me where and when the ship would reappear, and true to his word, it did. Most of the city knows him to be rather strange, but none of them know that he has a connection to Ganondorf. That is why I would have travelled to the Capital myself to tell the king if I were in a condition to do so."

"Where is this foreigner now?"_  
><em>

"He's remained in Cordoba since he approached me. Perhaps you should simply leave the city and relay my words to the king in person."

"If he is still in Cordoba, then I wish to speak to him."

Prince Desmendo slowly nodded. "He stays in the Dinkahl, spending the last few nights praying—but for what, I cannot say. We have simply locked him in one of the rooms and kept him fed and clean. Nabooru can show you the way there."

* * *

><p>The Dinkahl was just as large as the prince described it to be. The books that Zelda often read made it seem like the Dinkahl was a towering structure that was so large that it pierced the clouds and the upper floors had their own weather system. The truth: the entire underground of Cordoba was a single complex of hallways and rooms that joined to make possibly the largest place of worship in the world, in terms of overall area. There were multiple entrances from the surface of the city, and each entrance seemed to be incredibly congested, even into the night. The entire area was underground save for the entrances.<p>

Nabooru did not seem to be particularly happy after being waved off by her leader. The Gerudo woman had initially asked for Ashei's conversation with the prince in a subtle manner, and when Ashei refused to say anything, Nabooru pressed harder for the contents of their talk. Silence remained, however.

Nabooru led Ashei only up to the entrance before the Gerudo woman left. "Just inside of the Dinkahl are a box of headbands that are red in colour. Use it to cover your hair. You should have left any weapons at the front gates, but if you haven't, then leave them outside of this place."

"Where will I find this foreigner?"

"Ask anybody about the white-haired man that resides in the Dinkahl. They've all met him by this point."

Ashei took her first steps into the complex, and tied one of the headbands to herself. Even by midnight, the complex was full of people hurrying about, going to different rooms for different reasons, and praying. There were only a few men among the much larger crowd of women, and most of them were priests otherwise.

Ashei could not help but feel uncomfortable to be in such a constrictive hallway with so many people, the majority of who wore traditional Gerudo clothing, which in itself was rather revealing. The young Gerudo woman who attended to Ashei at the gates was inside, holding a vase of water for the older priestess beside her.

The priestess was tall, and sported the same complexion that Nabooru had. What little of her hair that was not concealed by her headband was a dark orange; although certainly a fierce colour by the standards set by the rest of Hyrule, her hair was rather tame in comparison to the others in the crowd.

The swordswoman approached the two. The assistant smiled when she saw Ashei. "Greetings, my lady. Did you come to pray?"

"Is there a white-haired man that resides here?"

The priestess frowned. "Are you Ashei?"

Ashei slowly nodded, unsure of how the priestess knew her name. _Turn back_, her conscious told her. But she felt oddly... compelled to find this foreigner. "How do you you know my name?"

"He speaks of you often. He remains in this city for the sole purpose of seeing you. I can lead you to him, if you would. He is in the southern branch of the Dinkahl," the priestess said. "But he is certainly an odd character, I should warn you." Ashei nodded once again, unsure of what to say.

Ashei passed by several rooms with what seemed to be hundreds of people praying in each of them. She was not sure whether they were all humming holy words in unison or not; their native language sounded far too alien for her to understand them.

The last room in the hallway was guarded by two few guards who were visibly quite strong and skilled in hand-to-hand combat. Upon seeing the trio, the guards moved to the side.

The priestess motioned to the door at the end of the hallway. "The door should be unlocked."

When Ashei realized that the priestess and her assistant had already left her alone, she proceeded forward with a fleeting sense of regret for not giving her gratitude sooner. She opened the door, and the foreigner was there.

His hair was the shade of white the Gerudo described it to be (he did not seem to care for wearing a headband). His skin was ghostly pale, and she could not think of any part of Hyrule that he could have come from. Even seated on the ground, he was tall, with long legs and broad shoulders and a flat stomach. The robe he wore was white with a red gem attached at his hip.

He grinned when he saw her. "Welcome, Ashei. You're rather early."

"Who are you?" Ashie asked.

"I find it rather _insulting_ that I know who you are, but you do not know who I am," he said. "Yet my name is of no importance as of now. I am from a faraway land and I've come here as a wanderer. You see, I am looking for my pet."

"Your pet?"

The man nodded. "A few years ago, my pet became somewhat disobedient. He seems to have left from my side and has not reappeared. It's been a few years... I am confident that he is still here, lost, trying to escape my grasp. I mean to take him home."

Something about this man did not seem right. He seemed too sure of everything. In all but name, he was truly a prisoner inside the Dinkahl, and Ashei felt compelled to take him back to the Capital for the king's judgment. But first...

"What is your relation to Ganondorf?"

He smiled innocently. "Who?"

"Perhaps I can help prompt you to remember that name," Ashei said. She cracked her knuckles and kicked him once in the chest. He did not flinch, did not react, and did not show any sort of pain. She kicked him again, this time against his head. He did not react, although he began to bleed from the nose.

"_Tsk, tsk_. I am disappointed that you would give up on our conversation in favour of barbaric violence. But who am I to refuse a lady, especially one of such a _marvelous_ complexion? Among the krakens and the sharks that topple ships, Ganondorf is but a red herring. I have no relation to him; I merely own his ship."

"But how did you come by his ship then? Surely you must have seen him at least _once_?"

"Ah, so many questions! But before I give any more answers, I would like to know a few things about yourself. Where are you from?"

Ashei sighed. "Do you promise to answer my question if I answer yours?" she asked, and the man nodded eagerly. "I am from the North. I was recently drafted to serve the Crown—I am to trade my life for the royal family's if the need arises—"

"Have you ever loved another person enough to die for them?" _The king, Prince Landon, Princess Zelda, Prince Victon_: Ashei could probably name a few more members of the royal family that she had pledged to protect. "Discounting your own family and anybody of royal blood, of course," the man immediately added.

The room fell silent. "No..." Ashei slowly said, unsure of what he was attempting to do. She suddenly felt weaker when she tried to reach for her sword, only to realize that it wasn't attached at her hip. She still had knives attached to her calves, safely hidden from view, however...

"Then decide soon enough: what _is_ worth dying for?"

Ashei's brow furrowed. "I answered your question, now answer mine: how did you acquire Ganondorf's ship?"

The foreign man laughed. "In truth, I see no reason to answer that. I got what I wanted out of our conversation, and with that, I bid you adieu," he said, standing up.

The words of prayer from outside the room suddenly became inaudible to Ashei. Instead, parasitic sounds starting to creep their way into her mind. Her eyes closed involuntarily and she saw visions of death all around her.

_Murder..._

Her heart trembled, and she could no longer stand from the pain. "Farewell, my Northern rose," she heard him say and the door opened and closed.

_Two knives..._

She opened her eyes one last time to see the white-haired man pull out two small knives and thrust them into the guards, who did not fight back, as he left.

_Get up, Ashei. He's getting away._

_Pain..._

_Who is he?_

_Die..._

_What is his name?_

_Mercy..._

The world collapsed around her, and Ashei thought for a moment that she would die.

* * *

><p>The Goddesses had other plans, however. When she woke once more, she saw the faces of Nabooru and the priestess looking down at her. She was chained to the bed and a dozen other guards walked in when she started to groan. She was obviously in some military fortress located underground.<p>

Nabooru's face was a shade redder than it normally was. "I told you not to carry weapons into the Dinkahl," she said.

"It is a sacred place," the priestess agreed. "And to stab two defenseless guards and help the foreigner escape?"

Ashei stared at them, perplexed. "W—what?"

"I have seen all of it," one of the guards proclaimed. "She opened the door, took out two knives from under her robe, and killed the two guards protecting the room. Then she watched as the foreigner left. I had everybody evacuate the scene before she could attack anybody else. When I returned to see the damage, I found _her_, unconscious and next to the two guards she killed."

"I did no such thing!" Ashei yelled. "He told him—oh, what did he say to me? "

Nabooru shook her head in disappointment. "Something is amiss. Whether you are lying or not, I cannot say, but under Prince Desmendo's orders, we cannot allow you to simply leave as it is. The news that a Hylian has killed two Gerudo guards inside of the holiest place known to our people has the entire East howling for blood. Just yesterday, a merchant from the Capital was beheaded. His only crime was being from another part of Hyrule, just like you. We must have you on trial for the murder of those two guards and the crime of bringing weapons into the Dinkahl."

"That man used some sort of spell on me! I could only think and hear the sounds of death... I collapsed from the pain."

The priestess said, "Princess Zelda and Prince Landon are coming to the East with the intent of bringing you back to the Capital safely. They are bringing a Surveyor that is versed in the art of hypnosis as proof that you were indeed under some sort of trance. But in the meanwhile, do you have any type of reason to bring knives into the Dinkahl?"

Ashei reddened. "I do not."

"I hope you understand your actions, Ashei," Nabooru said. "You have truly brought hell upon us."

* * *

><p><strong>~END CHAPTER~<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Excerpt from <span>The Political History of Hyrule<span>, by Marchus Werkollan:  
><em>"Before 301 A.W., the continent of Hyrule was split into four independent kingdoms. To the west of these kingdoms was Koholint, who alone bolstered a military force larger than all four of the Hylean kingdoms, and cited the large population of ethnic Koholintians who live in Kakariko as justification for often going to war for the area of Hyrule. The Empire of Najhin (as of 608 A.W., known as the Najhin Republic) lied to the east of the Hylean kingdoms, and posed a threat to the stability of the House of Dragmire's rule over the Gerudo people. Due to these foreign threats, 301 A.W. marked a time where all four kingdoms agreed to merge together to form the Royal Union, later becoming known as the Hylean Union of the Four Kingdoms (now colloquially known as Hyrule). Although the Union was governed by a council made of people from all four kingdoms, 392 A.W. marked the coup d'etat of House Nohansen, who captured the Capital city and proclaimed themselves the ruling family.

_Excerpt from The Political History of Hyrule, by Marchus Werkollan:  
><em>The Hylean Union of the Four Kingdoms is divided into the West, the North, the East, the South, and the Capital; the latter lies in the center of the Union, along the Greystone River. The West hosts the city of Kakariko, which connects Koholint to the rest of Hyrule. In times of peace, Koholint's trade and newest inventions pass through Kakariko, making the city the Hylean forefront of progress and the richest and most educated city in the Union (per capita; data collected by Surveyors Adam Mardina and Sallae Werkollan). In addition, the West also hosts the Library—a society that collects and records all data since 48 A.W..

_Excerpt from The Traditions of the Gerudo, by Jalkeryn Nalar:  
><em>Due to the exceptionally low birthrate of Gerudo males (approximately twenty-five per cent of the overall population), males are traditionally believed to be gifted rulers and are typically the group who lead the Gerudo people. Unlike other kingdoms, the Gerudo refer to their leader by the title "prince" as opposed to "king".

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes,<strong>

If you've gotten this far, I applaud you; this is certainly a lot of world-building in a single chapter. Too much, I would imagine, but better that than a blank canvas that never gets painted over.

I've decided to take the fundamental parts of Legend of Zelda and expand on them in a realistic fashion. Zelda isn't the ruler of Hyrule, and much more like an actual monarchy, she has a family in this story, which comprises of herself, her two brothers, and her father. I've also decided to make this story not stringently follow any particular Zelda timeline, but I would wager that this story is most similar to Twilight Princess in terms of characters (although many characters from different titles appear in this game). The concept of the Golden Goddesses is also apparent in this game, as you might have guessed, but there are variations on religion based off of what region the story is told from.

In addition, the world has been altered slightly. Hyrule, based off of the games, is a largely desolate place with few people in it, but that doesn't really fit into the flow of a story too well. Instead, Hyrule has enough people so that there are multiple major cities in each of the four kingdoms. However, as a whole, Hyrule's population and total land area is nowhere close to that of the other kingdoms in this story, and thus there is a large amount of vulnerability in an international scale. The land itself has been split into four different regions (each based off the cardinal directions), and each has a different ethos associated with it, and to some extent, even people's names are restrictive to each region. I think that adds a fair amount of scale to this story. In addition, each region is based loosely off of real world places. The East, for example, is a mix of Arabian and Spanish culture.

The story itself is rather dark at times. This is a mystery overarching the adventure/suspense/romance that will develop each chapter. This story does contain death fairly often, so if that is something that makes you uncomfortable, then perhaps this story is not suitable for you. This isn't the generic hero-saves-the-world story that it initially appears to be.

Speaking of the hero, Link is a much darker character in this than he is in the game. He has a past that he refuses to talk about, and he often has nightmares regarding his youth. The majority of the story will be spent exploring his character.

This story will be fairly heavy on original characters. Most of these characters will not have a particularly large impact to the story. This is about as much writing as I'm planning on doing for Prince Desmendo, but in contrast, Nabooru will see plenty of more chapters ahead.

Please review, telling me all of your thoughts on this, good or bad. I certainly don't mind criticism when it's founded on legitimate complaints.


	2. Ascension: The Wolf

...

**~PART 1: ASCENSION~**

**~The Wolf~**

He never could sleep peacefully.

By the turn of the stars, his thoughts became clouded with reminders of what could have been—and what was. The wolf, the girl, the swordsman, the mayor, the children, the magician...

* * *

><p><em>"Boy, why don't you tell them your name?"<em>

_Ordon was a small village, largely untouched by the rest of Hyrule and beyond. They did not receive visitors. The only people abroad that knew of the town were farmers looking for pumpkin seeds._

_As the boy in tattered clothes sat down on the tree stump, in the view of everyone in the village, he simply groaned. He was young, and glanced to his side to see a girl of his age staring at him with curiosity. __"It's only appropriate for you to tell us your name. We're all good, honest folk here. We'll treat you kindly. You have a new home," Rusl said, smiling. "Isn't that what you said you wanted? A chance to start over?"_

_The boy could tell from Uli's facial expression that the mother was not pleased with Rusl's offer. But she simply closed her eyes, held Colin, and remained silent._

_"I — I'm Lincoln."_

_Rusl raised a brow. "Are you? That wasn't the name you told me earlier..."_

_"...Call me Link," the boy said. Even his voice was foreign. He did not belong here._

_The majority of the children simply stared at Link in confusion. Some of the adults were deep in thought; they were likely deciding whether they were okay with the boy living among them. But what they thought was of no concern to him; Rusl told the boy that it was ultimately Mayor Bo's decision as to whether he could be kept here._

_A young man with brown hair was the first to speak up about him. "Wait... Who is this boy? Where's he from? I'm sorry, Rusl—as much as I respect you, I cannot approve of bringing a stranger here that will not even talk back to us."_

_"I knew some of you would wonder about that," Rusl said. "Link has had a difficult childhood that he would prefer not to talk about. Perhaps he will open up about it some day, but for now, I would ask for all of you to understand that this boy would have died if we had not saved him."_

_"That isn't the answer I wanted," the man muttered._

_From among the depths of the crowd came the mayor, who stood taller than the other residents of the city. "Rusl, we shall talk about this in my home. While the boy deserves some privacy, I need to know who he is, and where he came from, in order to decide whether or not he can stay in Ordon. I hope you understand my viewpoint on this."_

_Rusl slowly nodded. He turned to Link, and said, "You have your harmonica, don't you? Perhaps you can play something for all of us while the mayor and I talk?"_

_The boy frowned. "What should I play?"_

_"Anything."_

_While Rusl and Mayor Bo retreated to the hill where the mayor's house was built, the boy picked up his harmonica and stared at them. The girl of his age veered her head. He realized he had the undivided attention of every curious person in the village. He closed his eyes and placed the harmonica against his lips._

_He had his eyes closed and his feet on the ground. For a moment, it seemed like he forgot they were all there._

_The sound must have been alien to them. The harmonica was not practiced very often in Hyrule. But he played the one tune that he knew the best. "Hope's Whereabouts," the song was called._

_The tune he played did not last for more than two minutes. However, everybody was silent by that time. The girl his age was the first person to start clapping. Two other villagers joined in. Even the brown-haired man clapped, and so did Colin. Uli did not join them. She stared at him with an air of hostility._

_The boy, however, was silent. He sat there, with the same bored facial expression he carried since he was brought to the village. The boy would not stay here for long, as his calling was elsewhere._

* * *

><p><em>For six years, the village slept and woke by the sound of a distant harmonica. The boy became the centerpiece of their village. There were times in recent years that Rusl had a few of his friends over from the Capital and the West to hear Link play one of his songs. Then those friends told other people. Fairly regularly, visitors came to Ordon for a reason other than their pumpkins.<em>

_Today, he played one of Ilia's favourite songs: "The Hidden Tears." Ilia said that it had a melody that sounded eerily similar to a lullaby that her mother sang for her. But that was another time. He did not ask her about her mother. After all, if he refused to tell any of these villagers who he was, why should he want to know who they are? Nevertheless, he found it somewhat strange that he would not _

_Ilia gathered the children—Colin, Beth, Malo, and Talo—and took them to a spot on the river that the boy normally played in the mornings. He laid against a tree, smiling as they approached._

_"Did I wake all of you up?" he asked, putting the harmonica down on his lap. They all sat down in a circle around him._

_Ilia smiled at him and said, "I can't imagine waking up and not hearing your harmonica anymore."_

_"I'll take that as a compliment, then."_

_The boy never stopped being distant to the people of Ordon. He refused to speak of his past whenever Ilia asked, and he kept his emotions under a mask painted with a smile. Ilia would occasionally encourage him to let out his true feelings—"Something? Anything? What do you dream about? Let's start there!"—but his answers were always generic._

_But the village seemed to love him all the same. Ilia's father described him as being a gift from the Goddesses: he was the sort of person to be able to learn something new almost instantly. He helped Jaggle fish until Malo and Talo were old enough to do that in his stead (although he did help the man every now-and-then when the brothers skipped out on that). Colin was too timid to want to learn how to use a sword, so Link often sparred against Rusl. Whenever Fado needed help with the goats, the boy was prepared to drop whatever he was doing to help with that. Whenever Mayor Bo wanted to practice wrestling, the boy made a suitable opponent._

_The boy stared at Ilia for a few moments. He could tell that she felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze. "Ilia, I'd like to teach you the harmonica today, if you're not busy."_

_"I'd love to," she said earnestly._

_Talo scoffed, "Why only her? I've asked you to teach me for the past few months, and every time, you told me, 'tomorrow.'"_

_"It's because Link and Ilia love each other!" Beth declared, giggling and clasping her hands together. Ilia reddened and fervently denied it._

_"Then I'll teach you as well, then," the boy said, smiling. That kept Talo quiet._

_The children never would stop bothering the boy. If they wanted to play a sport, they would attempt to get the boy to play with them. A few months ago, Rusl came back from the Capital with a few harmonicas, and a few of the children have attempted to practice since then, but no matter how often they played, none of them were nearly as good at it as Link._

_The past six years felt like a dream. The boy would never be allowed to have such dreams so long as the wolf remained a part of him._

* * *

><p><em>Ordon was a nice, quaint village that seemed to be immortal, and untouched by the outside world before the boy came here. Yet Ordon, like the rest of Hyrule, was devastated by the Great War. Days after Hyrule launched its retaliation from the Capital, one of the larger armies from Koholint regrouped by the captured city of Ordon, waiting for commands from their superiors. Before they could react, the Najhin Empire attacked this army and the quiet town of Ordon became one of the largest battlegrounds in the entirety of the war. Many of the buildings were razed to the ground, including Ordon's once famous mirror Clock Tower, in the exact same design as the one in Termina. Acres of cropland became useless. For many months after the battle, the river was blackened and did not clear up.<em>

_But that was all the history that the village could afford. After six long years, the ravenous wolf that ate away at the boy's heart made itself known again. The boy's calling was not here. Both he and the wolf needed to leave the silence this village brought. The day he met Rusl, the boy made a promise. He intended to keep it._

_But first..._

_Rusl was alone outside alongside the river with a drink in hand._

_"You can't sleep?" the boy asked._

_Rusl turned around, mildly surprised that the boy would be up so late into the night. "I would ask you the same. I have to leave tomorrow for the West, so I'd like to have an Ordonian wine before I do," he said, grinning. "The wine out there isn't particularly good, and the wine there that constitutes as half decent would run my wallet dry sooner than I'd like."_

_The boy was not surprised by the fact that Rusl was leaving. The swordsman's line of work involved traveling, and whenever he traveled outside of Hyrule, he typically took Colin and Uli with him. That was how they all met him..._  
><em>_

_"I've already said my farewells to everybody except you. I was planning on doing that in the morning. But now that we're here... Please, Link, take a seat," Rusl said._

_The boy stood. "Remember what I said to you six years ago? The promise that the bloodied boy with scars across his body made?"_

_"And here I was hoping that you would forget that promise... Are you sure that you will not take the words back?" Rusl asked._

_The boy's promise was etched into his mind as if it were stone. He had no room in his heart to forget. "I cannot. I'm sorry if I sound stubborn, but that promise is the last part of me I intend to keep. My family had come and gone. Sooner or later I'll likely lose this harmonica. But those words will live so long as I breathe."_

_Rusl remained silent for a moment. A chill flew from the North, and Link could not help but shiver. Rusl said, "There's no need to apologize, Link. You've been put into a situation no child should be put through, and I completely support whatever you choose to do from now on. But make me a promise as well. Promise me that you'll never forget these past six years. Ordon has become a part of you, and no matter how much you've attempted to distance yourself from all of us, I know that you carry some sort of emotional bond to this place. _

_"Mayor Bo and I, along with the other adults who live in this village, consider you the greatest gift to have come to us in a long time. The children all look up to you, and they all want to be just like you when they're your age. Colin was always timid, never talking unless somebody asks him a question, but he's been improving, and I'm attributing that solely to you. I know beyond a certainty that Ilia has loved you ever since she met you. All the times she's been harsh with you are because she cares enough to look for every mistake you make, however small. __Understand that we're your family, Link, and no matter where you go, or what you do, remember that there's a loving community waiting right here to accept you with open arms. Promise me that much before you go, Link."_

_The boy wept his eyes dry before they could well up with tears. "I'm leaving in a few moments on Epona. Thank you for your words, Rusl. I'll certainly keep them in mind."_

_"And what of my promise?" Rusl asked._

_"I'm sorry, but nobody, not even you, knows how I am truly am. I thirst for blood, Rusl, and it would be better if I hunt the criminals of this land instead of its innocent citizens. Perhaps then I can also atone for my wrongdoings."_

_"I see," Rusl said. "Are you sure that you do not want to leave in the morning, like I am? That way you could give everybody a proper farewell_—"__

__The boy stopped Rusl mid-sentence. "The whole reason I'm leaving now is so that I __don't _have to say my goodbyes. Thank you for everything, Rusl. I know I said that I wanted to start over, but I cannot."_

_The boy walked away in silence. Thankfully, Rusl did not stop him. Epona was still awake, even that late into the night. She was right beside the abandoned home by the entrance of the village, as she always was. With a sword and a few dozen rupees, Link set off for distant lands to sate the wolf's hunger._

* * *

><p>Link woke to the sound of metal ringing and glass breaking. It was well into the night, and from Link's window he could see the moon shine over the Gerudo desert. This was the single inn between Trajan and Alhambra. <em>Bandits<em>, he realized. These people were in danger._  
><em>

Epona. Link remembered that he left her outside of the inn. He grabbed the sword Rusl once gave him and rushed down the stairs. Other people were clearly in their rooms, terrified. _I've got to save Epona_.

The moment he came downstairs, he thrust instinctively at the first person he saw. They were Bulbins; smaller than the average human, but quicker, and the smash from their clubs against a skull kills just as quickly as it would with a sword. They heard Link cry out, and turned away from filling the bags of loot and charged at him.

But it was too late for their friend. He had been killed with a single thrust against the heart. Link withdrew his sword and back away, letting the other Bulbins see his work. One snarled, staying back, yet the other one charged at him, eager to avenge his partner.

Link could feel the wolf burgeon forth with every strike of metal against metal. The Bulbin followed his first swing, high above his head, with a second with the intent of puncturing Link's midsection. Link dodged the Bulbin's first strike, and met him for the second. The Bulbin staggered toward the wall. The second Bulbin gathered the courage his partner found a moment ago and struck thrice. The first two missed badly, but the third made its way against Link's stomach before he could react. That knocked the breath out of him, and forced Link to grip himself as he began to fall to the floor.

That was all the encouragement the wolf needed to take over.

The wolf ignored the searing pain emanating from his stomach area. He had to. These were the laws of the wild, the laws the Bulbin fought by, and if the wolf could not fight by these same laws, he did not deserve to move forward. _Kill or be killed_. _There is no middle ground_.

Both Bulbins cornered him. The first one struck, and he blocked. The second one struck, and he backed away further. Then, in a moment of unsullied passion, he leapt forward, brining the sword down on one of the Bulbins in a downward cut that pierced through the little armor the bandit wore and hit flesh. The wolf pulled out the sword and dashed against the third Bulbin. The Bulbin, however, ran out of the inn quicker than the wolf could. He could not help but smile at the sight of his prey making a futile attempt at escape..._  
><em>

But the pain became too much to bear. Link would have passed out the moment he was struck by the Bulbin's club. The wolf was stronger than the boy, both mentally and physically, but he was still constrained by the boy's shortcomings.

_You need to grow stronger_, the wolf thought.

_No, we both need to grow stronger_, the boy thought. _The lone wolf dies. The pack survives._

The world collapsed to black.

* * *

><p>Link was back in his bed, his sword next to him, the sun piercing through his window, and he could hardly focus on the distant sounds of the crowd downstairs, likely eating their breakfast. It could not have been a dream, Link realized. His midsection had too familiar of an ache to it. He pulled up his tunic just high enough so he could see the injury. There was nothing external, although there was a pinkish-red bump where he had been hit.<p>

He could stand up with great difficulty, groaning as he stretched himself. He considered bringing his sword downstairs with him. Nobody would mind the action, even at the breakfast tables. Aside from the Gerudo's religious populous—which was small to begin with—most of the Easterners were avid believers that weapons are an absolute necessity in the desert, and because of it, carried them everywhere.

But he went downstairs without it. There were about two dozen guests staying at the inn at a time, and they offered food only in the morning so that the people who wanted to leave that morning could do so without having to worry about hunger. As Link approached the kitchen, people constantly eyed him and whispered into their mugs. The owner doubled as the cook, and when he saw Link, he smiled. "Are you up this early? You are not supposed to be out of bed just yet... Did Mariha not keep a watch over you?"

"I feel fine," Link said, giving a modest smile, and then he took a seat. "But thank you for asking. About those bandits... they come here often? I've spent enough time in these parts to know that the Bulbins love nothing more than to see an unguarded establishment in the middle of nowhere. It's because of places like these that bandits come to the East. With all due respect, I travel around, and let me tell you, your province is pretty well known for being the safest destination for outlaws."

These words seemed to pique the owner's curiosity, because he stopped cooking for a moment and glanced at Link. "Is that so? What would you recommend me to do about it, then?"

"Hire some guards, perhaps. I know they're expensive out here, but perhaps you can find some in the South that are willing to work for real cheap. Or you can find some master swordsman from the North who has trained his entire life in an exotic and tribal fighting style. Offer them a decent salary, and these bandits will think twice before doing what they did last night," Link said. "You don't have to keep them all the time either. Keep a few guards around for the first few times the bandits eye your inn, and they'll forget about this place being so easy to steal from."

"Perhaps I should. Regardless, I'd like to thank you for what you did last night," the inn's owner said. "I hope I don't offend you by saying this, but where are you from? I mean, I watched you fight yesterday, and that sword your carrying, and your fighting style... You certainly aren't Eastern, are you?"

He flashed a smile and said, "No, I'm not Eastern. I was raised in the South, and I was taught this style of fighting by a Terminian man who resided in the village I'm from." He stretched, and the pain emanating from his stomach reappeared. He groaned, and when the innkeeper rushed to help him, he shrugged it off. "Anyways... what happened yesterday, after I went out?"

"We had to clean the blood you spilled, to be sure, but hopefully they will not bother us again. You see, they come every few weeks, just to make a noise in the middle of the night, and take all of the rupees we've worked for, Mariha and I. They've never actually harmed any of us until you came here, and you've chased the third Bulbin away. Everybody is fine."

Link poured himself milk from a warm jug. He said, "How did he get away?"

"He took of one of the horses from the front and went off on his own. Went off just a little south of here, I think."

That made him stare away from the glass of milk. "Was the horse brown with a silver mane?" The inn owner slowly nodded. Link stood up, and rushed out of there as quickly as he could. _I've got to save Epona._ He gathered his sword and other belongings and set out on foot. If that Bulbin was as stupid as Link believed him to be, there was only one place that Epona could be, and Link could certainly walk there within the day.

As he made his way outside, he could hear the owner of the inn shouting at him, likely offering him one final drink before he left, or another parting gift of sorts. Perhaps he was warning Link about how dangerous it was to go out in the desert so poorly equipped, or with the clothing Link was wearing. Perhaps the owner of the inn was scared that Link was going south of here in hopes of finding the Bulbin, and by extension, his horse there.

But Link knew where he was going. Everybody needs to own up to their debts, and it's time that King Bulbin owned up to his.

* * *

><p>King Bulbin was not a king the same way that King Dephesen was. He wore the title of king to signify his power, not his heritage, and certainly not to imply that he owned large swathes of land. He was the leader of a group of outlaws that should have been taught their place a long time ago. If the leaders of the East had a better hold of their own lands, then the bandits would not be nearly as prevalent nor successful.<p>

There was a good chance that King Bulbin might have remember him. They had met before, twice. The first time was about four months ago, outside of Duwerha, where his group of bandits had planned to ransack the city. All that stood between them were a handful of trained soldiers and a two wanderers. The soldiers were killed with ease, but the boy became the wolf, and they retreated in horror. If he could, Link would certainly retreat from the wolf as well, given the chance, but they were bound together.

The second time they met was here. One of the wealthier residents in Trajan lost her necklace in a raid of the small settlement. He set off to find King Bulbin's lair, where he hid his treasures, and he had taken it by force when they refused to hand it back. He had charged her more to get the necklace back than it was actually worth, but she still paid his price unhesitatingly. When she jumped in joy and told Link that the necklace was a family heirloom, he could not help but change the price of his own services to the value of the necklace, and he would accept no more from her. The Gerudo woman then offered him a place among her household guard, which he promptly refused as well. She would have paid him well and offered a decent home, but he could never stay in one place for very long.

He approached the Bulbin hideout late in the afternoon. His feet were sore, and the small patches of skin exposed to the sun had reddened, but he survived the trip, and quite comfortably as well; a feat even most of the Gerudo could not do.

Theirs was a large sandstone building that melded in fairly well with the surrounding dunes of the Gerudo desert. There were no roads out here—King Bulbin certainly chose this spot with the hopes that the only people who could find the place were the ones who were invited. When he made the trip from the inn to here, he was growing more and more fearful that the Bulbins left the area after Link found them out. However, seeing a lone Bulbin guarding the entrance put him at ease.

Link approached the Bulbin, grasping the hilt of his sword. The wolf wanted blood, but if he could rescue Epona without fighting anybody, then it would be better. "I'm here to see him. The king, I mean." he said.

The Bulbin eyed him, holding his club between both of his hands. He turned his head back to the lair, and then glanced at Link. "Wait here, human. I find escort for you, okay?"

Link nodded, and the Bulbin went inside, making sure to close the door. A moment later, two more Bulbins, both armed with heavier weapons than clubs, came there. The one of the left simply said, "Come." As Link made his way inside, he never truly let go of his blade. Perhaps they were planning on stabbing him when he let his guard down...

The plaza was just as hot on the inside as it was outside, even without the desert sun's wrath. A few of the Bulbins were scurrying about, moving weapons around, or eating. King Bulbin himself was in his own room, enjoying chicken. Before the Bulbins let him inside to speak to their leader, the second one said, "We watching. No funny business, okay?" Link did not answer, and walked inside. King Bulbin sneered as Link sat down across from him.

"Welcome... again," King Bulbin muttered. "And here I was, enjoyin' your purported absence. Didn't you say four months ago that you were going to the Najhin Republic or somethin'?"

_So he does remember me_, Link thought to himself. _Ah, yes, I told him that, didn't I_? "You have quite the memory. I _was _planning on going there to talk to a few people, but I ran into some difficulties while attempting to cross the border. Instead, I've spent my time in the North, in the West, or wherever else I feel welcomed," he said. "I'm going back there for when the Najhin Republic celebrates its twelfth year as a successful democracy, which should be in a few days. But on my way, I'd thought that it would only be rude if I didn't revisit." Link was about to tell King Bulbin that the bandit's minions were getting better at speaking the Hylean language, but he quickly decided that that would go too far. He did not remember the bandit as a particularly patient person.

King Bulbin frowned. "Careful. You do not amuse me, human. Last time you came here, you caught us off guard. But now, one wrong step_—_" Link finished his sentenced by drawing his index finger across his own throat. King Bulbin laughed. "Yes, yes. I'm glad you understand my terms. I've heard... stories, of what you've done. You've killed two of my children, you _monster_."

Link opened his mouth, but the words did not come out. _It wasn't me, damn it! It was the wolf. It was the wolf who killed them. I would never..._ If he had any hope of seeing Epona again, he could not afford weakness, nor could he seem unsure of himself. "They were attacking a family who were trying to make an honest living," Link sighed, "but this isn't about them. There was a third one among them. He got away on my horse. Her name was Epona, and I want her back."

The bandit laughed mockingly. "By Din's wrath, Link, you came here, riskin' yer hide for that stupid mare? We've been lookin' to get back at you for what you've done. We were even plannin' on chasin' you down as soon as we've heard news 'bout you. But you've shown up, and_—"_

Link stood up and said, "I'm not here to fight. I want Epona back. I'll leave quietly, and I'll make you a promise_—_I'll even leave you alone if I come across you when you're raiding a city."

"Your promise means nothing, _foreigner_."

He heard that word a fair amount in the East. Most people assumed that he did not know what the East truly was just because he freckled, instead of tanning, in the sunlight. "I keep my promises, I can assure of you of that," Link said.

"I don't want to hear your lies. Did you really think you can kill two of us off and then waltz in 'ere and give me your demands? You may not have realized it then, but you came here to die."

_Die. Die. Die._ The word echoed in his heart, and the wolf began to howl. Link suddenly felt weak, his grip on his body loosening. "I don't want to fight."

"But it's a fight you're goin' to get," King Bulbin smiled.

The wolf began to pound at his heart, harder and harder. His mind became filled with cold thoughts and red blood and the scent of death. "I didn't come here to die. But if it's a fight you want, then _somebody _will," the wolf said.

King Bulbin grinned. "Excellent! Ror'khajal! Ror'makal!"

The two guards that had previously escorted Link into their hideout barged into the room, and the other Bulbins gathered outside to watch. The first one took a quick stab at the wolf before he could draw his sword out, forcing him to step back. The second one tried to do the same, but his own thrust was blocked by the wolf's quick slash. King Bulbin laughed, content with the sight.

The first Bulbin made another ponderous charge to hack at the wolf's head. This one was blocked just as easily. And the moment that the Bulbin withdrew his own sword, the wolf thrust his sword at the Bulbin, hitting him in the stomach. The second one took this as the ideal opportunity, and thrust his sword at the wolf's waist, hitting flesh just to the side.

The wolf turned to face him, his eyes bloodshot, and he could feel the pain from last night compounding with the cut he had just endured at his waist. "_How dare you?" _the wolf cried out, and charged at him. His sword flicked side to side, and killed the second Bulbin with ease. The wolf, however, was not satisfied. With an effortless motion, he withdrew the sword and sank it deeper into the Bulbin, grinning all the while. He turned to face King Bulbin, who was visibly upset.

"If you tell me where Epona is, I _might _just let you, and your whole lot of stupid barbarians, live," the wolf said.

At that instant, the other Bulbins tried to barge in. King Bulbin frowned at Link, and said, "I don't negotiate with the likes of you."

"Suit yourself, then. I considered myself to be uncharacteristically merciful with that offer." The wolf reached for his bag and pulled out a veil with a black liquid inside of it. He unscrewed the cork, sniffed its contents, smiled, and dropped it on the ground. Like flies to the winter breeze, the Bulbins started to drop to the ground. The wolf, however, breathed in the scent, intoxicated by it. He smiled, and left to find Epona. She surely would be inside of this complex.

Epona was where they kept their other animals, including Lord Bullbo. By this time, the wolf's grip weakened and Link began to feel the cut in his side. He struggled to stand, but seeing Epona gave him enough energy to run to her and free her of the harness the Bulbins put her in. He stood by her side, and wept for the first time in years. King Bulbin was right. Link truly was a monster.

* * *

><p><strong>~END CHAPTER~<strong>

_Excerpt from the Formation of the Najhin Republic: New Horizons, by Christon Miskerf  
><em>The Najhin Empire and Koholint, which have stood as rivals throughout much of their ancient histories, are now embroiled in the Great War over the autonomy of Hyrule. Koholint wished to seize the lands for the glory of their empire, and despite the public's outcry to remain independent of the conflict, the Najhin people's emperor still sent expeditionary forces to aid Hyrule, costing the Najhin Empire thousands of lives in a war they had no public interest in. Even after the Najhin Empire won the war, her people grew too upset with the absolute power possessed by the emperor, and the bloodiest revolution in history took place, where the common people slaughtered the noblemen and women by the dozens and assumed power for themselves, promising a government created by the people, consisting of the people, and serving only the people. While this ideology is certainly not new, this is the first time that a nation has successfully implemented democracy, and extremist groups have appeared all over the world, clamoring for their nations to follow the Najhin Republic's footsteps.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes,<strong>

This chapter is probably the darkest one I'll write for this story. I had no intentions for it to come out that way, it just... did. I mentioned that there is death at times, and it certainly will not be as prevalent the whole story as it was in this chapter.

Link is somebody with a mysterious past that nobody knows except Rusl. Rusl simply brought him to Ordon one day, he spent a few years there, and left when he felt that he could. He's somebody who generally doesn't give away his emotions too often, and talks to most people with a mask of politeness.

The wolf is Link's other persona, and a slight nod to the Twilight Princess Link. This is his fighting spirit. The wolf eats away at Link's mind until all Link could think about is murder, which satisfies the wolf for a few moments, until he starts to do the same process again. There are also times where the wolf manages to take over Link's body, generally in high-pressure situations. How Link acquired the wolf is part of his past, which will be revealed in bits and pieces. Also, the harmonica that Link plays is a nod in general to Link's musical aptitude displayed throughout the many games.

There will be some parts of the storyline taking place in Ordon, mostly through Link's dreams, but also, a few characters will be visiting the small village for various reasons. A few of the characters, specifically Rusl, Colin, Mayor Bo, and Ilia, have a major part to play in this story.

Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, either positive or negative.


	3. Ascension: The Princess

**...**

**~PART 1: ASCENSION~**

**~THE PRINCESS~**

Princess Zelda had always heard stories of just how cutthroat and unforgiving the politics in the Capital can become, but those fables were tamed in contrast to what she had heard of the East.

Murderers, pillagers, and bandits roamed the roads between cities at night. Some of the braver ones appeared in the bright of day, and hid themselves well against the uneven terrain some sand dunes brought, looking to take whatever they could from unguarded travelers. The bravest were the ones who were the ones worth remembering, and they were the ones who sieged cities in times of peace and razed entire Gerudo settlements to the ground. Most of the Eastern cities were too small and too distant to help each other with the issue, and Prince Desmendo's efforts over the course of his life did little to alleviate the problem.

As she travelled, she knew she was always being watched from a distance. The bandits, who were likely keeping an eye on them, could not see the contents of the curtained carriage, and if they did, then they would stop at nothing in an attempt to kidnap Hyrule's prince and princess. The ransom was certainly worth the risk, even if a dozen armed knights, all on horseback, formed around the carriage.

They were the best Prince Landon, her brother and heir to the kingdom, could find. She recognized Ignacia and Rylan from the bunch, who were highborn men trained alongside the prince himself, and Sir Renner, who, although old, was loyal to the bone. Sir Renner was instrumental to the Great War, leading the Hylian forces in the Battle of Silvertower, where they had successfully repelled the invading Gerudo army. Some said that Ganondorf was there, among the ranks, although he was never captured.

Prince Landon glanced outside only to see miles and miles of dunes painted against a single blue hue and the burning Eastern sun. He too was sweating profusely under the white and decorated armour that he wore. "Damn it, Zelda, must we really be dressed so formally?" Prince Landon asked. "I've heard of people dying of the heat in clothing half as modest as this..."

She was wearing a heavy white gown with gems horribly unsuited for the clime. Princess Zelda said, "Of course it is necessary. We're representing Father, and by extension, the Crown. We need to look _important_."

"The moment we step outside, the bandits will begin to flock around us," he grumbled. "It would be better and safer if we dressed as commoners."

"I already talked to Sir Renner about our journey. We shall stop _inside_ of the gates of Cordoba. We shall not encounter any bandit, if that worries you."

He was five years her senior, but she still felt a strange responsibility towards him. Prince Landon showed no aptitude nor interest for the finer aspects of nobility, not the verses in history, nor the etiquette in dining, nor the mannerisms and small nothings that foreign dignitaries would pick up on in conversations. Nothing made him happier than sparring with his friends. Princess Zelda eyed him with a sense of jealousy that she would never admit aloud. These were to be his lands one day, from the deserts of the East to the busy markets of the West, to the farmlands of the South and the gently rolling hills and rivers of the North. He was their future king, but he cared little for it; she was to be sold to some foreign prince to secure a diplomatic alliance for Hyrule, but she showed every trait of a leader.

He was a giant among the Hylean people, with thick arms and a square, clean-shaven jaw. Prince Landon laughed heartily, and said, "I can't imagine running a kingdom without you."

"You will have to; you understand this, correct?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps you can stay in the Capital, and I'll appoint you as Chancellor when I'm crowned."

Princess Zelda held in her smile with her gloved hand against her mouth. "There are two things wrong with that. Firstly, there has never been a female chancellor serving the Crown. How would the common people react to the first one? How would the nobles react? How would foreign dignitaries react?"

"To hell with all of them, then. I can't recall anything those groups have done for this kingdom," Prince Landon said.

She rested her head against the velvet seat, closing her eyes. Shad had brought many books on these subjects on the behest of Chancellor Zeal when the young princess had asked about these topics. She remembered staying in her room for hours and hours, absorbed in the histories of her land and people. "Sir Monteau was a Western commoner who was knighted after he improved the centuries-old irrigation system of the Gerudo people, allowing them to grow enough food to decently sustain their population. Lord Greyus was a Southern noble who sought to make education universal, and although he did not succeed, schools are widely available for a much broader range of social classes because of him. Lord Janus was a Terminian ambassador who proposed a new trade route between our two kingdoms, and Autumn Valley, which now serves as the Southern capital, was founded because of that trade route. Perhaps you would know these things should you listen to Chancellor Zeal when he talks to us."

He frowned and said, "Fair enough, I suppose. What's the second problem with you being the chancellor?"

"It would not look very professional if our king appoints an immediate family member to the position. There is a reason it has never happened before," Princess Zelda said.

"But what of Queen Helden the Second? Didn't she make her cousin the chancellor?"

She opened her eyes in realization. "So there was a point where you _did_ choose to pay attention to the chancellor's words!" Prince Landon laughed when she spoke. Princess Zelda decided against ruining his accomplishment by reminding him that Queen Helden made her uncle the chancellor, not her cousin, and that the queen had descended into madness only a year later. "But the real reason for I cannot be the chancellor..."

Princess Zelda paused. Hyrule had but a fraction of the land and power that her neighbours, Koholint and the Nahjin Republic, had. She was the key piece in forging an alliance with a foreign nation that could prove to be invaluable in warding off potential invaders.

"Zelda," Prince Landon said, and she realized she had been silently staring out at the road for too long. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I am fine," the princess replied, and averted her eyes to avoid her brother's gaze. "It's just... there's so much on my mind. Ashei would never kill two guards inside such a sacred city, would she? What will become of all of this? Prince Desmendo claimed that tensions have never been this high since the onset of the Great War. If Ashei is proclaimed to be innoncent, the Gerudo will surely seek for blood elsewhere."

Prince Landon's facial expression hardened. "These aren't the things you should worry about, sweet sister."

_I worry about these things because you do not_, Princess Zelda thought to herself. The mere thought of him sitting upon the throne her father, and many forefathers before him, made her uneasy. "Father sent you and I here for a reason. If he did not trust us to handle this and calm the Gerudo, then we would still be within the walls of the Capital. These are the things you and I need to think about. Ultimately, what happens here is our decision, and what happens here will have a rather large effect on the rest of Hyrule."

"Everything will work itself out, then. Father sent us here because he can't be bothered to venture outside of those stone walls. You're just like him in that regard, but the only difference is that he has a choice in the matter, and you don't."

She kept quiet, and turned her attention to the world outside of the carriage. There were small slits in the curtains that allowed for circulation, as well as allowing the siblings to peer into their surroundings without the fear of being seen.

Princess Zelda saw their final destination: Cordoba. The city stretched across the horizon for many miles, but the land seemed to be largely flat and empty, with buildings being built at most, one floor high.

* * *

><p>Prince Desmendo gave special permission for Prince Landon's knights to carry their weapons into the city, but ultimately, Zelda had talked her brother out of the idea. They did not want to risk upsetting the Gerudo as it was.<p>

They left the carriage and their weapons by the entrance of the walled city. Sir Renner had helped her down, and her brother had hastily stretched his arms outward as he stood on even ground once more. It was a good decision not to bring the weapons into the city, Princess Zelda realized. As it was, the Gerudo citizens they passed by on the way to Prince Desmendo's manse were giving them stares that were all but friendly, and if they carried weapons, those stares would certainly become much more hostile and lingering. Some of the commoners watched them walk through the streets hastily. It was likely that most of them had an inkling of the siblings' true identity.

They knocked on the door of the only house coloured white in the city. A Gerudo woman answered it openly, and smiled when she saw the siblings. "Prince Desmendo's been expecting you two. If you would, please follow me, Prince and princess."

Sir Jarin of the West and the other knights kept watch over the perimeter of Prince Desmendo's modest home, save Sir Renner. Nabooru led the four of them to Prince Desmendo, old as Princess Zelda remembered him to be. Beside him, relaxing by the fireplace, was one of the Library's most esteemed Surveyors: Sunden, fabled to be the most knowledgeable of men in Hyrule in matters involving the psyche. Princess Zelda had asked him to come at once when she heard the news of Ashei, hoping that Reverie could prove that the royal guard was under some sort of trance when she committed the crime.

"Prince Landon! Princess Zelda!" Sunden called out, and bowed to the floor. Prince Desmendo would have done the same had he the strength.

Today, however, Princess Zelda could not help but feel uncomfortable by the sudden realization. "Sunden, how did you get here so quickly? The Library is on the other side of the kingdom, and—"

"I was in the North, my princess," Sunden said, closing his eyes and smiling. "I had some business to attend to, concerning the historical philosophies of the Zora people. And as soon as I had heard that the princess of Hyrule had summoned me by her own word..."

Princess Zelda quieted. "I see... In that case, I would like to thank you, on behalf of the Crown, for coming here on such a short notice. Ashei is my royal guard. I intend to prove her innocent, in the eyes of the Gerudo court, and have her freed. She is no monster, I assure you of that.

Sunden seemed quite young, with raven black hair that he kept neatly combed to the side along with an imposing stance. He certainly seemed to be the intellectual type, not unlike Shad, with wiry arms and legs coated by a black suit. Although she was trained by Impa to a meticulous degree of accuracy in pinpointing a person's ancestry from their accent, Princess Zelda could not ascertain whether he was Northern or Western.

Prince Landon stepped forward, which mildly surprised the princess. He always did prefer staying in the background when the two of them met with others on behalf of their father. "This city is exceptional by all standards," he said. "It's clean, safe, and friendlier than most of the other places we've visited in the East. I haven't been here long, but I certainly am impressed."

Princess Zelda hoped that nobody else would notice her reddening. Her brother was far too direct; he did not care for how well-managed Cordoba was, but rather, how awful the other parts of the East were. She had to admit that she was far from impressed from her trip here, but his words... "May we see Ashei?" Princess Zelda asked. It was hardly the proper introduction, but she was desperate to change the topic before Prince Landon said something he would regret.

The Gerudo prince weakly nodded. "She is imprisoned deep within the Dinkahl. Only one person may see her at a time, and we must have guards stationed _inside_ the room as well."

Princess Zelda frowned and said, "Imprisoned? Should you be taking action before the trial begins?"

"Ashei is guilty of murdering the guards inside of our holiest city. That much is beyond any doubt. The trial is merely for the Crown to prove that she should be released despite it. Until then, I have complete jurisdiction over her," Prince Desmendo said. "In truth, I could do so much worse than simply locking her up in a cellar. My people want me to have her executed, or tortured. Princess, it truly is a shame that you were busy for the past few days, and could not go in Ashei's stead. I am confident that none of this would have happened."

"The princess had other duties," Sir Renner interjected, expressionless. He stood still like a statue, and Princess Zelda forgot he was there for a moment. "There were some issues in the North." He gave Sunden a glare.

Sunden frowned. "You knew..."

Sir Renner stepped forward. He stood just as tall as Prince Landon, but his armour made him seem much bulkier. "Of course we did. Is the Library supposed to keep secrets from the Crown?"

"My apologies," Sunden said, "I did not want to mention it in case you had not heard of it. I hardly consider myself the appropriate person to inform you of this. The massacre of the Sheikah will surely spread around to the commoners within a few days, regardless."

Princess Zelda was prepared to travel to the East on Prince Desmendo's request, but a sudden turn of events made it difficult for her to leave the castle. Ashei was ill-suited for the task, but the princess had nobody else to send to the Gerudo desert on such short notice. When she heard the news of the Sheikah, all she could dream of was Impa smiling at her, teaching her the art of the katana and those dreams became nightmares and scenes of bloodbath.

The Surveyor shrugged, and leaned against the wall. "I was dispatched immediately to investigate what exactly happened, alongside two of my fellow Surveyors, Shad and Rutger. The Sheikah were a powerful and ancient tribe that could fend off any attack. They lived on the mountaintops, and the only way you would encounter them is if you purposely went looking for them. For all of them to be slaughtered so efficiently... No matter, we have a lead. My associates are travelling to the South, in a small town called Ordon, to begin their investigation."

"Shad works with you? The intellectual with glasses and auburn hair? A Surveyor?" She remembered him well in his time as the Capital's bookkeeper. He spent his time dithering away from one book to the next, his eyes constantly switching between stories, whenever she saw him. Yet Shad always had time to pick out his personal favourite stories for her. In the cold winter months, Zelda also spent her time beside him. Neither of them said a word to the other, but their facial expressions told it all: "This book is quite interesting... I'd recommend you read it. After _I'm_ done with it, of course. Actually, read this one. It's a tragedy of a brave knight who betrayed his queen for her own safety..."

"Fitting, isn't it? He spends his life obsessing over books, which the Library certainly has enough of. After enough time as a Surveyor, collecting data at the behest of the Librarians, he might be chosen to enter their order," Sunden said.

The Gerudo woman from before entered the room quietly, and bowed before the son and daughter of King Dephesen. "It is a pleasure to meet the both of you. I am Nabooru. Would you like to rest at the Hylian embassy? Perhaps a meal? The trial shall happen tomorrow, and it is best that you prepare for a long and exhausting day immediately."

Prince Landon stood forward and smiled, "Thank you. We'll need one room for my sweet sister, and enough rooms for myself and my thirteen knights—"

"I wish to see Ashei, if you would," Princess Zelda interjected. She knew that her brother shot her a glare, but it made no difference. Nabooru smiled, ignoring the prince, and led the two of them outside.

* * *

><p>Zelda was surprised to learn that the books she read about Cordoba proved to be wildly inaccurate. Instead of the tall building fabled to be the largest temple in the known world, the Dinkahl was an underground complex. She supposed that by overall area, it still claimed the title, however.<p>

She never carried weapons, and had no qualms about wearing the red headbands. Some of the Gerudo gave her glares when they saw her pass by. Princess Zelda doubted that any of them recognized who exactly she is, yet that only fed into how scared she felt by their prying eyes.

There were multiple rooms that contained people by the dozens, all praying in perfect harmony. The Gerudo believe in a different branch of the traditional Hylian religion. Where Princess Zelda was taught by the castle chaplains that all three of the Goddesses were equally important and the source of all power, the Gerudo keep primarily to Din, who was said to be a mortal Gerudo woman who brought the possibility of life into the arid desert, and gave the Gerudo a home. Din eventually sacrificed herself in order to ascend as one of the Goddesses and keep her everlasting love to the Gerudo people.

Beyond those rooms were the darker and emptier parts of the Dinkahl. Nabooru led Princess Zelda down the stairs, and through a few more twists through the underground complex before they came upon a hallway lit only by two candles. There were four guards standing outside of the door, which was chained to the wall.

"This is Princess Zelda. She wishes to ask our prisoner a few questions," Nabooru said. The guards nodded, unlocking the chain and opening the door. Zelda peered inside. Ashei was crouched against the wall, her head down. She looked decently fed, and better off than the prisoners Zelda normally heard about.

Two of the prisoners remained in the room, and the other two went to watch outside. Before Princess Zelda could ask any questions, she noticed that Nabooru lingered. "I understand the need to guards," Princess Zelda said. "And I am sorry to say this, but there is no reason for you to remain here, Nabooru."

"Prince Desmendo would like to know exactly what you are saying," Nabooru said, with a wide smile on her face. The princess could not help but scowl and ignore her and the guards. As long as they did not speak, she could turn her back to them and pretend it was just herself and Ashei.

Ashei raised her head when she heard Princess Zelda's voice. "I am sorry. I have failed you, My Lady, and I deserve whatever punishment you deem fit for me."

Princess Zelda sat down across from her. "You are too hard on yourself, Ashei."

"I brought a weapon here. When I heard that a man with white hair came to Cordoba, I felt strangely compelled to defend myself in his vicinity," Ashei muttered.

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why?"

"Princess, I would ordinarily tell you anything. Believe me, however, when I tell you that it is best if you do not know."

Ashei's tribe had served the Crown for as long as Zelda could remember. Ashei herself had come to the Capital when Princess Zelda was eleven, and she remembered a girl, hardly older than her, by her side wherever they went. The royal guard had an aptitude for making herself concealed. The two of them never spoke more than a few words at a time to the other. Princess Zelda eventually became so used to Ashei's presence that she eventually forgot the guard was there.

_"Ashei, do you read?" the young girl once asked as they walked in the royal gardens. Princess Zelda remembered how intoxicating the scent of the foreign flowers was right after the rain. _

_The royal guard did not bother glancing at her. __"I used to read a few years ago," Ashei said. "I've had greater occupations since then, My Lady."_

_"Such as...?"_

_"Guarding you. My life for yours." The royal guard replied, emotionless. Everywhere, everywhere, Ashei had always kept one hand on the hilt of her sword._

_A pang of guilt hit the young girl. "Oh! You don't have to remain by my side if you don't want to! I'll be fine on my own, believe me! If you'd like to sit down and read alone, then I would understand—"_

_Ashei could not help but smile. "Thank you for the offer, My Lady, but I am content as it is."_

_"Then perhaps we can go find Shad." They had recently hired a new bookkeeper that was only a few years older than herself. While he wasn't one to talk very often, Princess Zelda grew to admire his seemingly endless knowledge of literature. "He knows several books that you might like. Perhaps we can read one together!" the twelve year old girl exclaimed, grinning._

_"I—I suppose I would like that very much, My Lady."_

"Ashei, if this is something to do with your tribe that you would prefer to keep a secret, then I will not bother you about it. If this is a threat to the security of our kingdom, however..." Zelda had trailed off with the intent of forcing Ashei to answer.

The royal guard frowned. "I assure you, it is nothing to do with Hyrule. He is a man I've known from several years back."

"I see. Regardless, you are more valuable to the Crown than the love of the Gerudo people. They will not be spurned to war over this so long as Prince Desmendo is their leader." Princess Zelda trusted Prince Desmendo to be able to keep the peace. After Ganondorf fled Hyrule following the Great War, her father chose the new prince to guide the East. And of course, this new prince needed to have already demonstrated his unwavering loyalty to the Crown.

Nabooru coughed, just as a reminder that she was still there. "You _really_ wish to make this as difficult as possible for us, don't you? Even before this, large swathes of land in the East have remained lawless. The parts of this province that still follow some sort of order will be thrown into their own chaos."

"I am confident that Prince Desmendo can keep the peace among the Gerudo people."

Prince Desmendo's seneschal scoffed."He's edging around seventy. He needs a _break_, princess. He won't take the news very well."

Zelda stood up. "My father would not have appointed him if he was not confident in Prince Desmendo's abilities. Do you have anything else to say?"

When silence followed, Princess Zelda took her leave. Later that night, she watched, from the terrace in the embassy, Landon spar with his fellow knights. She remembered Ignacio to be quite fond of tournaments held in the Capital Square, where soldiers and travelers could compete for cash prizes; Ignacio was a regular crowd favourite. Rylan practiced his own skills for many hours at a time when he was not volunteering with a few of the charitable organizations that sprung up after the Great War. Neither of them were nearly as powerful as Prince Landon, however. She could tell that when her brother stretched, his armour—which was already so heavy that the average person could not lift it—seemed to constrict him.

Princess Zelda would never deny the aptitude her brother had for swordfighting. It was his priorities, however, that she would never cease to worry about. It was best if he went to sleep early in preparation for Ashei's trial, but the way he was laughing with his fellow knights told her that their mirth had only begun.

She went to sleep peacefully, listening to the distant and melancholic tune of a harmonica.

* * *

><p><strong>~END CHAPTER~<strong>

_Excerpt from The Library's Ultimate Purpose and Mandates — No author specified:  
><em>The Library is the oldest society in Hyrule. Their home is within the mountains that separate Koholint and the western region of Hyrule. They are guarded by some of the king's best warriors, although it is a common rule, even in wartime, to never bring the war to such an ancient place. In addition, the area is strictly off limits to everybody aside from Librarians and Surveyors — even the king does not have immediate access. A Librarian is not allowed to leave the Library, and is set to shoulder the burdens of secrets that cannot be revealed to the public for their lifetimes. Every single document ever created is stored within their site.

Surveyors are people that collect information for the Librarians to analyze. The Surveyors receive no wages for their efforts, but rather, the chance—should they prove to be notably diligent—to become a Librarian for their lives. Surveyors are not allowed to carry weapons at any point, and they also cannot enforce the law, despite being indirect representatives of the Crown. They merely collect data and ask questions.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes,<strong>

Not my favourite chapter to write, but absolutely necessary. Plenty of characters are convening around this one particular place—the Eastern capital of Cordoba—and this will serve as the start of the story. As time goes on, the adventures of these characters will start to diverge and converge at different spots, and you'll get to see more and more of the world as they see it. But I digress; the next two chapters will, for the most part, be unrelated to this current plot arc that's happening in the East.

A note on chronology: the next chapter should be coming _before_ this one in the story timeline, but that was a change I've made after I've written about half of this current chapter. There might be other time-skips that I feel will add to the story at times.

A fair number of original characters have appeared in this chapter, but keep in mind that most of these characters don't serve a particularly large purpose in the plot. Prince Landon's group of knights—Ignacio, Rylan, Sir Renner, and the other half-dozen, for example, are not major characters. They largely provide an atmospheric touch.

In this story, Princess Zelda isn't actually the heir to Hyrule, although she certainly does have the mentality as though she is already the queen. She is quite an effective leader, although she is also burdened, at the same time, by the need to see everything done by her own hand. This stands in stark contrast to Prince Landon, who couldn't care less about the internal politics that affect Hyrule. While Princess Zelda has a far better grasp on reality than her brother, something the two of them have in common is that neither of them have a particular knowledge of how dark the world can be at times. This is something that will be expanded upon fairly heavily soon enough.

Please review, telling me your thoughts on this chapter. The story will probably pick up by next chapter, and you'll really be seeing the overarching plot by then.


	4. Ascension: Remnant and Lion

**Author's Notes,**

Normally I put these at the end of the chapter, but there are two things I need to say.

Firstly, the chapter I wrote came off being too short, at about 3,000 words. Instead, I decided to fit in in with what was supposed to be the second chapter (and the second chapter is pretty short as well). So halfway through this chapter, there will be a sudden break and you'll read the second sub-chapter. This makes sense thematically as well, as both of these chapters are short breaks in between the larger plot that's taking place in the East, and won't advance the overarching plot.

Secondly, the first sub-chapter, "The Remnant," is chronologically supposed to be before any of the other present-day events described in the story thus far (before the prologue). I've only just decided that I did want to write this as a suitable introduction for whom I've now decided is my favourite character to write for. The second sub-chapter, "The Lion" however, is supposed to be after Zelda's previous chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

**~PART 1: ASCENSION~**

**~The Remnant~**

The third mandate of the Departed was that she could not reveal her emotions. They were far too base for the warrior, and created yet another weakness that she had to hide. As Impa stood on the seared charcoal and ruins that once made the Hidden Valley, a hundred things ran through her, but the prominent one was the seething rage that overtook her.

Yet she would not dare break the Departed's will. She stared at the village that was once home to the Sheikah, to her people. Ninety-nine warriors had fallen to a single blade within an hour of her departing for the Capital. She was the hundredth, and the last of her kind, at that. She felt scared, alone, lost. But she could never reveal those weaknesses.

Whoever did this had an affinity for fire. Hidden Valley was solely composed of wood, and when the intruder had battled here, he or she had obviously intended to raze the village and kill every person here. Ninety-nine of Hyrule's best soldiers, likely dead before she even saw the heavy layer of smoke protruding from the highest mountain in the North.

Her mind was riddled with questions. How could a single person defeat so many of the Sheikah? It certainly was not a group; the Sheikah kept constant watch over the village, and would have noticed a group coming well in advance. A single person with enough experience could likely make their way to the village without being noticed, but a group could not. Why would somebody want to attack them in the first place? The Sheikah were so few in numbers that most people thought they were simply stories and not real people. They had no place in fighting any wars, only training the Crown's children in their lost and dark arts.

She remembered when Princess Zelda had come here, many summers ago. The princess did not care for the many hours that are needed to truly perfect the ways of the Departed, and kept to her book instead of practicing with Impa, or Zarhan, or Enla.

The biggest question, however: what would she do now? Her home was now crisp, her family dead, and her way of life destroyed. It would be foolish to stay here. Whoever did this might come back soon enough to check for survivors. And if nobody else in the village could match this person, how could she hope to?

_Don't get angry. Anger consumes all that a warrior needs to fight. I need to bury them—bury them all,_ Impa thought to herself.

She passed by the body of her village chieftain. They simply referred to him as the Elder. No name was required. He was good to all of them and wise as well. His grey beard nearly flowed so long that it touched his stomach when she discovered his charred body on the grounds, just outside of his own home. Fortunately, the cemetery, placed just outside of the Hidden Valley, was untouched. The intruder might not have noticed it, but perhaps, she thought, with a morsel of hope in this monster, that he or she had enough respect for the Departed to let them be.

The Departed would never be at rest. It is written within the fifth mandate that life was merely preparation for the true battle that took place afterwards, against the Lost Souls.

She resolved to bury the Elder first using the shovel she found in the cemetery. It was a melancholic affair, and took a few minutes to create a hole large enough for him within the empty space in the cemetery. Next, Father. He was the one who taught her the truths of life and of the world.

"You and I will pass," he once told her, "and the world will go on all the same. We are but smudges in the world; our lives mean nothing. Hyrule means nothing. We are all but leaves in the wind."

"The winds carry the voices of the Departed," Impa reminded him.

He slowly nodded. "So they do. We are the leaves that fly across the green. The winds—the Departed—carry us, giving us power to live, to breathe, to fight."

"I understand, Father."

"You will never understand, and neither will I," Father said. "It is not our place to understand. The Departed understand, and we follow them with the faith that they shall lead us to victory. We exist only to serve. Nothing more."

"Who do we serve, then?"

"The Departed. The Crown. The land. We serve who we feel is righteous, although you must always heed the words of the Departed." Father may be gone, but his words were eternal.

Impa's seething rage was replaced by sweeping sadness. Father was the quiet sort, even among the Sheikah. Perhaps the reason she remembered that day so clearly was because it was one of the few times he had said more than a few words to her. The Elder was the one supposed to teach her the mandates of the Departed, but he was often busy at the time of the Great War.

She took less time burying Father than the Elder. She had contemplated making a small subsection in the cemetery dedicated only to her own family. It was certainly not like anybody could speak up against; she was no longer just Impa of the Hidden Valley. She was Impa, the last remnant of the Sheikah tribe. Nobody else could preserve their secrets, their burdens, and their history.

Yet she feared the Departed enough to bury Father in line with the others in the village. A few of the next bodies she buried were of the Elder's bodyguards. She had not known them personally, although she had heard Sister call them wildly fierce in battle. She eventually stumbled upon Sister's body, resting against a wooden post that was ready to crumble underneath her. With great care, Impa pulled her off of that.

"Who are they?" Sister had once asked Impa a few years ago. There were three of them in total—two large men in armour, and the young girl, about Sister's age. They were talking with the Elder.

"That's Princess Zelda," Impa replied. "She's to stay here and learn our arts. The two men near her are her guards."

"She's pretty," Sister commented. The princess was wearing a royal dress clad in purple dyes and gems.

Whoever the murderer was did not spare the children of the Sheikah either. She grit her teeth in frustration when she saw Gertu's charred body on the ground. She was guarding Alka's remains; the boy was only a few weeks old.

Mother...

Impa ran to her body. It was preserved better than many of the other ones. Her face was still recognizable despite the burns she had to endure. Her hands were against her heart, attempting to defend herself. _She deserves better than this_, Impa thought to herself. There was no greater honour than to fall to a worthier opponent, Father had once said. But whoever did this was certainly not that. A worthy opponent would not harm children.

Impa had been summoned to the Capital that morning by Princess Zelda. "I'll be back before sunset, if the princess's tidings are short," she said to Mother. "Otherwise, expect me in the morning." Mother smiled and nodded, and proceeded to tell Father and the Elder as well. She left the village, and only an hour later, she could see the smoke emanating from the Hidden Valley.

_Damn it. I should be been here. I should have died here, with Father, with Sister, with Mother..._

It was no use mourning for the dead any longer than necessary. The best she could do at this point was avenge them.

Perhaps the Departed would condemn her for it, but Impa buried Mother in her own special area. No being could stop her from doing so. Shovel in hand, she set off to bury all one hundred and fifty of the Sheikah that died by the monster's blade.

The cemetery reeked of a queer mixture of mud and death. The village smelled like charcoal. Nothing was left for her here except for bitter memories. And those bitter memories made her angry. _Don't get angry. Anger consumes all that a warrior needs to fight._ There were no doubts that she was irrefutably alone, with nobody watching her. Although the North was vast in area, it was sparsely populated, and there were no nearby villages that could have seen the smoke.

Where would she go now? The Capital, perhaps? Princess Zelda might offer her a new home there as part of her royal guard. Perhaps she can request an audience with King Dephesen and try to obtain a few soldiers that could help her track down the monster.

On her way out of the cemetery, she felt her soles burn over burning twigs and charred ash. Impa stopped and looked at the ground. These pieces of wood were noticeably fresher than the old ones that were burnt down. She had no time to think. The monster had certainly left the area through this direction. If Impa was fast enough, she could certainly catch up.

The monster had the chance to burn down the cemetery, but did not. _There is some code of honour in this twisted being's heart,_ Impa thought to herself. _I shall grant him or her a merciful death._

* * *

><p>The dark forest ended with a blinding white light. Impa approached a clearing with a river flowing through it. The entire area looked peaceful, its life ignorant of the heinous crimes that took place a short distance away.<p>

There was a man, about her age, sitting on a log. He was rather handsome, with messy blond hair that covered his forehead and a tall, lithe body. The sheathe to his sword was attached at the sash across his grey coat. His hands were in his pocket, and he was in thought.

Before she took another step, she heard him speak. "Einselle, I'll have to continue this conversation later. Somebody is here," he said. He sounded noticeably foreign, and his voice dripped with danger. "Stay safe."

_Who is he talking to? _Impa did not sense anybody else. Regardless, she growled at him, and said, "You did it."

"I did," he said, smiling. "In truth, I thought I had killed everybody there. How did I miss you?"

Her face turned a shade of red, and she put up her twin blades. "You're going to die for your crimes. Men, women, and children...you certainly did not spare anybody, did you?"

He stood up. Perhaps the most alluring feature of this man was his eyes. They were a shade of amber in the sunlight. "I tend not to discriminate. Ah, you were referring to the babe in its mother's arms, were you not? What was I supposed to do? The mother refused to put the child down, and even so—what would become of the child? I had heard that the Sheikah were some of the strongest warriors in the kingdom. A pity that you all fell so quickly. I was looking for a challenge."

"What did we ever do to you?" The Sheikah were so fabled that to think they had relations with anybody outside of the Crown was absurd. "Answer me!" He did not speak, but frowned instead. "Answer me, damn it! I'm going to kill you either way, you monster, so answer me!"

"That is not the way of the warrior," he simply said. "For combat, you must forgo all emotions. They can only hold you back. Happiness makes you complacent. Sadness makes you hesitant. Anger makes you rash."

She dropped her dirks to the ground and fell after them. Impa sobbed. "You monster... my family... my home... gone..."

"You will continue to live, even without them."

"How can you say that, you bastard! Do you have _any_ idea what that's like? What I'm feeling right now?"

"I know what it is like to lose everything I have ever loved. I was always helpless. I needed to grow stronger to protect the ones I love. That's why I did this." Impa got up. _Thump, thump._ Her heart pounded within her chest. She raced to him, and slashed at him with her twin dirks. He dodged with ease. "I have no intent of killing you."

"_Bastard. Murderer._" The words seared in her mouth and in her mind. "What did the Sheikah do to you?"

"Nothing."

That answer was all the motivation she needed to swipe again. Again. Again. He effortlessly dodged all of her attacks. "Why did you do this?"

He stepped back, and pulled out the sword from its sheathe. It glowed a dark tone of copper. The man placed the edge of the sword against the log he was sitting on it from before. It burst into a spectacular display of flames. "I met a Gerudo man who promised me unbound strength in exchange for my partnership. I accepted. He calls this sword the Inferno's Wrath—it feeds on the souls of the people it has slain in order to become more powerful. I could have attacked the Capital, and killed many more innocents than I would care to count. But those people cannot defend themselves. The Sheikah, however, could prove to be more worthy foes. They could defend themselves, and therefore, I could attack them."

"Then why will you not attack me, you son of—"

"Because you are not acting in the way of the warrior. Your feelings are dictating exactly what you are doing and saying. If I were to kill you right here, right now, then it would not be a fair fight. It would not be a clean kill."

She took another stab at him. "Craven!"

"You misunderstand me, my lady. You are just like me. I only wish to grow strong enough that I can protect what I still have. And in order for me to grow stronger, I must kill. I intended for to kill every member of the Sheikah tribe together so none of you have to go through the emotions you're going through. But it seems that I've missed you."

"You said you would not kill me, however," Impa spat out.

He grimaced. "Strange. You are right. I wanted to kill all of you so that none of you would not have to go through these pains, but I cannot kill you because you are simply unprepared to fight me in your current state."

Impa smiled and said, "Oh, _don't worry about that_. I'll kill you by myself!"

He blocked strike after strike with the Inferno's Wrath. When their blades touched, Impa could feel the heat protruding from the man's blade. "Very well," he said in between her slashes. "I shall give you the chance to kill me. I hope you will not be offended if I choose not to tread lightly against you just because you are a woman."

She responded with an uppercut with her left dirk, and a thrust immediately after with her right, to which he gracefully jumped back to dodge. Just before she could swing again, he kicked her in the stomach, knocking her back. "B-burn in hell, bastard..." Impa said weakly. She struggled to recover from the kick, but when she stood up, she charged him once again. She blinked momentarily, the wind caught in her eyes, and when she looked again, he was gone. She stopped.

"Charging at the man who single-handedly killed nearly a hundred Sheikah is rather stupid," the voice said behind her. She turned to slash, but he was too far away. "I must concede that the souls of everybody you've ever known have made the Inferno's Wrath much stronger."

"Screw you!" Impa yelled.

"Perhaps you can join us. It'll be nice to have somebody with your unbridled passion on board, not to mention that you have a certain fighting style we may never see again. Oh, and ever since Ashal disappeared, Sycabelle has been feeling rather lonely, being the only female in the group."

"As I said before, _screw you_!"

He kicked her against one of the trees. When Impa tried to get up, he lowered his sword dangerously close to her throat. _The heat... the heat's __unbearable_, she thought to herself. She rested her head against the tree, defeated.

"I see it in the way your feet danced while were fighting. You certainly have the potential to one day duel me, and because of that, I shall be prepared for that day. But as it is, you have a heavy heart, one that is burdened by emotions. A heavy heart makes for a heavy sword, no? I am sorry for your loss, my lady, but I suppose it cannot be helped. Think of this as the chance to start a new life. I was faced with a similar decision many years ago, and I regret staying angry for so long. But I digress—when the day comes, and you feel you can defeat me, then you should seek me out, but until then, do not fret about today. Heed my words. Anger consumes everything, including the soul," the man said.

She tried to open her swollen eyes to look at him as he departed, but it was difficult. "Wait..."

He turned around. "Yes?"

"Kill me..."

"Why?"

"You have... bested me... the way of the Sheikah..."

He smiled. "Ah, is it the way of the Sheikah that whenever one of you loses a duel, it would be dishonourable to continue living if your opponent has chosen to spare you? I'm sorry, my lady, but I cannot bring myself to this. You were not fighting me; your emotions were, and therefore, you have not bested me, if that is what you are fearful of. Find me once you feel you are ready to bring vengeance for your tribe. I am known as Prince. There are bound to be people who know the name if you ask the right people."

* * *

><p><strong>~END CHAPTER~<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

**~PART 1: ASCENSION~**

**~The Lion~**

The Great War ended only a few weeks following the devastating battle that took place in Ordon. Colin was too young to remember hearing about it at the time it happened, and Mom had brought him to Termina on the onset of the war while Dad helped to fight the Koholint Empire's forces.

They say that amidst the fighting, the fires, and the bloodbath, the soft earth that kept Ordon's Clock Tower standing shook so violently that their dearest possession_—_the Clock Tower itself_—_fell to the ground.

It was a touchy subject that none of the villagers had wished to talk about, and Colin had never asked. The citizens of Ordon could not escape before the battle started, and instead hid away within the Clock Tower's depths. When the tower came crashing down like the waves upon the ocean, bones crumbled just as quickly as the stones. Fado nearly lost his right hand from bleeding. Mayor Bo managed to protect Hanch's family. Ilia's mother, however...

The warm summer winds never failed to come at this time of the year. The space that the Clock Tower once occupied was now reduced to dust, and Ordon's citizens have vowed never to groom over the land until the end of time, in memory of the Great War's impact on a town that was once isolated from the rest of the South, and from Hyrule.

Colin saw Ilia by the dusty remains of Ordon's greatest feat. Perhaps she lost more from the Great War than anybody else. When the Clock Tower collapsed, it would be either Ilia or her mother, he was told. The mother ran across the tower's width to shield her daughter from the collapsing stones, with no regards to her own safety. Ilia lost her mother at the age of six.

Mom made Colin swear and swear and swear to never repeat her words: Ilia's mother's death was what made Mayor Bo a shadow of what he used to be—he began to drink and gained a noticeable amount of weight. Mayor Bo's desire to improve Ordon waned over the years, and the only reason he kept the title was because nobody else would likely be inept at running the village. Perhaps Colin's father could be just as good of a mayor as he is a swordsman, but he was never in Ordon long enough to assume responsibility.

Colin sat down beside her. "Ilia... is everything all right?"

She seemed unsurprised by his presence so early in the morning. "The Great War took place around this time many years ago," she said, frowning. "The weather, the scenery—it all reminds me of her. She had brown hair, and blue eyes, and she was about my height. Would she be proud of who I am today?"

"Of course she would," Colin mumbled. Ilia simply stared at him, smiling. "Why—why are you staring at me like that?"

She ran her fingers across his hair, laughing, and said, "You know, you look kind of like Link, in a certain light."

Colin still remembered the morning that Dad announced that Link had left the village. The boy packed his bags in the night, and left on Ordon's best horse (not that anybody complained about him taking Epona, however—that horse belonged to Link). He did not say his farewells to anybody, and Dad told everybody that Link provided no particular reason.

Ilia was heartbroken by the news. All of the children were saddened. Even many of the adults, who built a close bond to the stranger who would walk to the ends of Hyrule and back, were rather shocked. Jaggle had organized a search party consisting of him and a few of his friends, much to Dad's dismay, who warned them that Link was riding a much faster horse and would likely be out of the South by the time they left Ordon.

"How?"

"Well... your hair is the same colour as his, for one," she said, trying to remember. He had left a few years ago, and his face was starting to fade in some of the citizen's minds. Not Colin's, however. "Perhaps if you kept your hair a longer and messier, you could have the same hairstyle as well..."

Colin had asked Dad where Link had come from, as did many other villagers over the years, but the swordsman would not respond. The child eventually began to suspect that Dad did know why Link left, and was keeping it a secret from everybody. He was the sort to do that. He could be gone for months at a time, and when he came back, he resumed life at Ordon as though he never did anything eventful abroad.

"I'm—I'm not growing my hair out." Colin's mother was rather strict about that. "Mom says that I'll look unhygienic with hair as long as Link's."

Ilia laughed when she heard that.

When they both remained silent, Ilia sat down beside the remains of Ordon's Clock Tower. "I always come here at this time of the season. I had heard the Earth groaning, like there was a beast underground, and the Clock Tower began to collapse over us. Mother was holding me in her arms, even when the stones began to crumble over us. I was fine, but... I'm sorry, Colin. You needn't hear these things."

Ilia stood up and was about to walk away. But before she could, Colin grabbed it with his. "Whenever you want to, talk to me about your mom. I can't imagine what it's like to lose mine..."

Colin hated hearing these talks about the Great War and death, but for Ilia's sake, he would listen. He would listen intently to everything she wanted to say about it all. For her sake.

* * *

><p>Colin's father did his best to remain in Ordon for the summer months. When he opened the door to his home, he saw his father across the table from two other men. He glanced over the first one. Neat and kept brown hair, thick glasses, a thin, wiry build, and clothes that were obviously foreign and very expensive, by the looks of them. He had a notebook on the table, and was furiously writing down notes in it.<p>

The second man, however...

He was unlike anybody Colin had ever seen before. He was taller than even Mayor Bo, with arms that were prepared to bulge out of his suit and his legs were like tree trunks. He kept himself bald, and blankly stared at Colin.

"Ah, is this your son?" the smaller man asked.

"It is," Dad said, smiling at Colin. "These are just some friends that I've met a few years ago in the West."

Colin understood Dad's wording well. He did not want Colin present right now. As he made his way to his room, he kept eye contact with the larger of the two men. And he closed the door to his room with an audible _shut,_ just to make sure the three adults heard him. Once he could hear them beginning their conversation again, he opened it just slightly and watched the bald man.

"Shad, why are you interested in Lincoln all of a sudden?" Dad asked, stirring his coffee. He likely imported it from Autumn Valley, the largest of the Southern villages.

_Lincoln?_ Colin tried recognizing the name. _Wait... Lincoln... Link?_ Colin's heart stopped beating for a moment when he had heard that. So his father _was_ keeping secrets from them all!

The smaller of the two men shrugged. "We always knew there was a peculiar boy living in Ordon ever since you officially titled him as your adopted son. We also knew that he left all of you a few years back. It's only now that he did something that garnered the interest not only of the Library, but of the Hylian military forces as well. Expect them to talk to you in a few days as well, Rusl, and believe me when I say that they will not be quite as hospitable as Rutger and I."

"What did he do?" Rusl asked.

"Shall we start from the beginning, friend?" Shad replied, smiling. "What was Link like when you first met him? How did his attitude change as he spent more time in this quaint village of yours?"

Colin's father glared at Shad and said, "What did he do?"

"I shall tell you _everything... _you need to know about this, if your own information proves to be not only be correct, but useful as well. What I might divulge to you is a major military secret that the Crown would sooner keep from everybody. May we start from the beginning?"

With a groan, Dad seemed to give up. "Link came to the village alone and hostile to all of us. He only spent his time playing that harmonica of his. Over the years, he slowly began to open up to everybody. He would help wherever he could, and most of the villagers took a liking to him."

"Most?" Shad asked. "Was there anybody who did not like him?"

"Only my wife," Dad replied. "But then again, she also knew where he came from, and the entire time, she felt that bringing him to Ordon was a mistake and that we were dragging the village into a plot that we should have no part in. She was quite glad when he left."

"Why did he leave?"

"First, tell me what he did, and I'll answer all of your questions."

Shad sighed, and lifted up his glasses into the sunlight coming in from one of the window panes. "The information you have provided us seems to be correct based off of our prior knowledge of Lincoln. The issue is, however, that you have not provided us with anything that furthers our own research. Was our exchange not to be useful information for useful information?"

"Fine," Dad grumbled, and took a sip of his coffee. "Link has the strange need of murdering people. For some reason, that need was suppressed during his life in Ordon, but he began to feel it come back. He left, and told me that he would travel the lands and hunt criminals."

"A murderer?" Shad asked, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Even the larger man, Rutger, seemed surprised. "I—I see... that certainly makes the case stronger, Rusl. And for that, I thank you."

"What did Link do?" Colin's father asked, standing up.

Shad sighed again. "The Sheikah have been slaughtered. Even the children met a tragic ending, my friend. There were many reports of a man with blond hair and tendencies similar to the ones you described in Link in the Northern villages at the time, and he even carried an ominous sword with him wherever he travelled."

"And you believe that it was Link just because of that?"

"Until we find a better suspect, yes. Link has been missing for so long that we are not sure what exactly happened to him. Perhaps, in his _heroic_ act of chasing down petty criminals, he eventually found the resolve to begin murdering innocent people as well."

"Leave," Colin's father commanded.

The thinner man said, "Thank you for your time, Rusl. Even if you have provided the Library with a little information, what you have said will surely help bring peace to the departed souls of the Sheikah." The bald man looked at the small slit in Colin's door, and nodded, after he left.

Once they were gone, Dad approached Colin's door and opened it, revealing Colin to be waiting right at its foot.

"When I tell you to stay inside and not worry about our conversation, I say that for a reason," Dad said, pulling Colin up. "What we have heard here strictly stays a secret between us. Nobody, not Ilia, not your friends, and not even your mother can know what they have said. Link is a good kid with a troubled past. He would never hurt good people. I know him to be better than that."

"Dad..."

Rusl took his sword from the wall, and walked to the door. "Colin, I'll be back soon enough. I intend to find the man who slaughtered the Sheikah, and prove Link innocent. Perhaps I can bring him back to Ordon as well, so he can give everybody a reason for why he left so many years ago. Oh, and Colin?"

"Y—yes, Father?"

"I no longer feel Hyrule is quite as safe for you, and the events that have transpired over the past week only confirm my suspicion. There's a boat travelling from Farore's Hearth to Termina. I thought it would be a good experience if you received an education over there. Your mother and I were planning on talking to you about this in a few days, but I suppose it cannot be helped."

"Wait, Dad!"

"Stay strong, Colin."

* * *

><p><strong>~END CHAPTER~<strong>

__Excerpt from The Political History of Hyrule, by Marchus Werkollan:  
><em>_The North is the largest of the four provinces that make up Hyrule, but despite this, it is the least populated. The Zora tribe has assumed control over the region, and answers only to the Crown. Other tribes exist in relative solitude as well, such as the Sheikah.

_Excerpt from The Political History of Hyrule, by Marchus Werkollan:  
><em>The South not only produces the most food of any province in Hyrule, but also houses the most people. Unlike the West or the East, the South consists only of a single large city, Autumn Valley (which serves as the capital of the South) and most people live in small villages scattered across the region. There are several forests that seem to house supernatural phenomena that have been deemed to dangerous to study at this time, such as the Haunted Grove. In addition, the literacy and poverty rates in the South are only slightly better than the East, and still far behind that of the West and even the North.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes,<strong>

Prince was somebody I thought of as of this chapter, but I eventually decided that he would fit in exceptionally well into the mold of this story, and his actions really will move the plot forward. He's certainly ruthless, killing every Sheikah, save Impa, yet he fights with some sort of code of honour that dictates how he can and cannot fight. He kills to become stronger, and was even granted a sword that consumes the souls of the people he kills. Oh, and he looks like Link, which will quickly spurn the large manhunt for the dark hero.

While other characters may visit Ordon for other reasons, this is quite likely the only time we'll see Colin in this entire story. But rest assured, I certainly will not just forget about him for the rest of the story.

All of your comments have been very encouraging for me to continue this story and see it through with the best of my abilities. Of course, I always read your reviews, so I'd love to hear what you have to say.


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